Bronx Insider: Sports Corner: Manhattan College Appoints Irma Garcia as Interim Director of Athletics.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Manhattan College Appoints Irma Garcia as Interim Director of Athletics. 

RIVERDALE, N.Y. — Irma Garcia, a veteran intercollegiate athletics administrator, has been appointed the Interim Director of Athletics at Manhattan College, Manhattan President Brother Daniel Gardner announced today. Garcia will begin immediately.

Garcia joins Manhattan College after serving as the Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics at St. Francis College (Brooklyn) since 2007, during which she led the Terriers to record-setting Northeast Conference (NEC) championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. She is widely recognized as the first Latina to ever lead a NCAA Division I athletics program.

Under Garcia’s leadership, the St. Francis Department of Athletics expanded administrative and coaching staffs to support the continuing needs of student-athletes and added both Women’s Soccer and Men’s Volleyball. The Terrier Men’s Soccer team captured five Northeast Conference championship titles from 2013-2020 and the Men’s and Women’s Water Polo teams have consistently been nationally ranked. Under Garcia’s leadership, the Department of Athletics continually exceeded fundraising goals through individual and capital campaigns which led to various facility upgrades, a state-of-the-art student-athlete fueling station and increased support for student-athlete health and wellness. Most recently, Garcia secured 17 facility partnerships across all of the New York City boroughs to ensure St. Francis student-athletes had the proper spaces to train, compete and thrive during the College’s relocation.

Prior to assuming the Director of Athletics position, Garcia was an Associate Athletics Director at St. Francis and served as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach for eleven seasons, honored as the 1998 NEC Coach of the Year. Garcia received the 2015-16 Division 1-AAA Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year Award and was named NACWAA D1 (FCS) Administrator of the Year for the 2014–15 academic year. Already a pioneer for women’s athletics on many fronts, Garcia became the first former women’s player/coach to ever be inducted into the Basketball Old-Timers of America Hall of Fame and was also honored with the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Distinguished Service Award.

Garcia is actively involved at the local and national levels, including serving as a member of the Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee, as a prominent leader within Women Leaders in College Sports and in leadership roles with NACDA, MOAA, HACU and PSAL.

The Manhattan College community is delighted to give a warm welcome to Irma Garcia!

Bronx Insider: Sports Corner: Manhattan College Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Marianne Reilly Steps Down.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Manhattan College Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Marianne Reilly Steps Down.

RIVERDALE, N.Y. -- Manhattan College Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Marianne Reilly announced today that she is stepping down from her role effective July 1, after seven years as the Director at the College.

“It has been an honor to serve my alma mater, our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and supporters,” said Reilly. “After seven years at the helm, it is time for a new voice to lead the Department into the future and time for me to embark on the next phase of my professional and personal journey. I am proud of what we were able to accomplish together and I will continue to cheer on the Jaspers in the years ahead. I am grateful to my colleagues, our talented staff, and most of all, the young men and women who proudly wear the green and white.”

The first female Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Manhattan, Reilly led transformative facility renovations and projects impacting many sports, including the opening of the Gaelic Park Athletic Center with state-of-the-art training and locker rooms, and significant enhancements to Draddy Gymnasium, the home to the Jasper basketball and volleyball programs. Under her leadership, Manhattan won four conference championships and earned a pair of postseason berths. Manhattan student-athletes achieved 98 All-MAAC honors and earned 29 MAAC major awards. In the classroom, the Jaspers earned more than 1,500 MAAC All-Academic honors in Reilly’s tenure. During the 2021-22 academic year, the Jaspers had 229 student-athletes named to the MAAC Academic Honor Roll, the most in the last five years. Reilly also oversaw a critical strategic plan for the Department and helped the College adjust to the ever-changing landscape and rules of college athletics.

“On behalf of the Manhattan College community, I want to thank Marianne for her selfless service to our institution and to our students,” said Manhattan President Brother Daniel Gardner. “Marianne is one of us and led us through a transformative period for the College and for intercollegiate athletics in general. Her contributions as a student-athlete and administrator will live forever in our history. We wish Marianne and Tom the very best and look forward to them continuing to play an important role in our College community.”

Reilly arrived at Manhattan after nearly three decades of service at Fordham University, where she served on the athletics’ leadership team and briefly as an assistant women’s basketball coach. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from Manhattan College and holds a Master’s Degree in Education and Administration from Lehman College and a professional diploma in Administration and Supervision from Fordham University. Reilly was the first woman inducted into the Manhattan College Athletics Hall of Fame and is also an inductee into the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Honor Roll at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Dr. Ronald Gray, VP for Student Life, will serve as the Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics as a national search launches to identify Reilly’s successor.